The fourth referendum in Ireland on the
abortion issue was conducted on the 25th of May, 2018. 67% of the
Irish voted in favour of abortion and 33%
against it. In1983, after the
third referendum, the Eighth
Amendment of the Constitution Act had made it clear that the right to life of
the unborn child was equal to the right to life of the mother. But this
amendment will be repealed as the Irish
people have now voted to do away with the constitutional ban on abortion. This
indicates that the Irish are slowly and
steadily moving away from the country’s conservative Catholic ethos. The
proposed legislation will bring Ireland into line with the majority of European
countries that allows termination without asking for specific reasons within
the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Moreover, as per this proposal, even in an
advanced stage of pregnancy, abortion will be allowed in cases of fatal foetal
anomaly or if the pregnant woman’s life or health is at risk.
Ireland which has
some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world has repeatedly been
subjected to severe criticism by Human Rights Bodies. Unlike many developed
countries of the world, Ireland does not allow abortion even in the early
stages of pregnancy. Irish women have to travel to England or other countries
for medical termination of pregnancy because if they have the procedure done
illegally in Ireland they can be imprisoned up to 14 years.
One of the victims of Ireland’s abortion
policies referenced by the pro-abortion campaigners was Savita Halappanavar.
Savita , a 31- year- old dentist hailing from Karnataka, India, died of
Septicemia in 2012 at University Hospital, Galway, Ireland as she was denied an
abortion during a miscarriage. This
incident had provoked widespread outrage and triggered a massive debate
over the issue of life-saving abortions. In 2013, a probe into Savita’s death
found flaws in the abortion laws.
Savita’s life had been mercilessly cut short
because of the outdated abortion laws of
Ireland. As her death had helped to catalyze the pro-abortion campaign, there
are requests now for the proposed new abortion
law to be called Savita’s Law.
Bhadra S.
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